I noticed this poster at the San Diego Central Library today. It announces a very special event coming up on the evening of August 18, 2026. Painting the Town: A Night of Art and Community will take place on the Central Library’s main floor exhibit space.
According to the event website, the evening will be the special opening night celebrating artwork created through the Wellness Program at Father Joe’s Villages, which empowers clients experiencing homelessness through creativity and self-expression. Enjoy inspiring artwork accompanied by live music from the San Diego Symphony.
I encourage you to check out the above link!
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The Bonita Museum has had some huge changes in the past year. A bunch of cool public art has appeared outside the museum, including the striking blue building exterior! I enjoyed seeing it all a few days ago.
I’ve already posted photographs of two works of public art by the museum’s parking lot: the WR This Cats Smarthorse sculpture that debuted in 2021, and the Inner Strength sculpture, which debuted earlier this year.
The Inner Strength sculpture was created by Chula Vista artist Michael Leaf. He is also responsible for the new blue museum exterior composed of differently cut aluminum panels, whose appearance is transformed as the day’s light changes. This unique building “skin” was created with special paint that changes hues. It’s appropriately titled Chameleon IT.
Some photographs on a fairly sunny day…
Michael Leaf has also contributed these two unusual seats, which he designed and built. They seem to be erupting vertically with energy. They’re titled Communication Chairs…
And he created this happy sculpture: Lead with Your heART!
Inner Strength rises near the center of the parking lot in front of the Bonita Museum & Cultural Center and Bonita-Sunnyside Library. You can’t possibly miss it!
The striking steel sculpture debuted earlier this year. It was created by South Bay artist Michael Leaf. The public art is part of a new sculpture garden located outside the museum.
(I’ll be posting photos of two other pieces by Leaf in the sculpture garden coming up!)
A plaque at the base of Inner Strength reads:
May “Inner Strength” serve as a reminder that true strength goes beyond physical strength; it is our ability to overcome challenges and rise above adversity.
Please let this statue inspire you to recognize the resilience that lies within each of us. May it stand as a beacon of hope and a symbol of unity for our community; encouraging us all to embrace our inner strengths and support one another on our journeys.
With Love and Light, Michael, Stephanie and Canon Leaf
At the center of Inner Strength is a heart.
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A thought-provoking exhibition of art opened recently in San Diego’s East Village, up in the second floor gallery of UC San Diego Park & Market. It’s titled The Space Between Words.
Any art that concerns language immediately intrigues me. What is the space between words? I wondered, thinking literally. Between written words: a short (or long) space. Between spoken words: a little (or much) breath.
According to a sign concerning the exhibition, language is more than something we speak. It is something we carry, remember, lose, invent, and share…
I recall reading or hearing that language is a prerequisite for human-level intelligence. Words are infinitely combinable symbols we share that can convey complex meaning.
Presented by Vanguard Culture’s ARTS LAB, The Space Between Words brings together the work of artists Jon Savage, Ale Uzarraga, Kelvin Lopez, and Jess Bergman. Their pieces explore the many ways we communicate when words alone are not enough.
So, I suppose, beyond language expressed by mind and body, there is art that itself speaks–art created by an artist’s mind and hands…
Some examples:
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Look what I happened upon this afternoon while walking through Balboa Park!
Some incredible chalk art has been created in the Plaza de Panama, right in front of the Timken Museum of Art!
The chalk art was created by @sidewalk_chalk_dad. It’s a colorful recreation of Albert Bierstadt’s 1864 oil painting Cho-looke, the Yosemite Fall, which is displayed among other masterpieces inside the free museum.
How amazing is this?
The museum is closed today–a Tuesday–so I couldn’t ask about the chalk art. I suppose it was created over the weekend.
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Ignition Press, the Los Angeles based publisher of comic books and graphic novels, has returned to San Diego Comic-Con with their Ignition Pavilion! You can find the two-story pavilion on MLK Promenade among many other activations.
As the Ignition Press website explains: The creator-driven company exclusively publishes original series including Murder Podcast, Voyeur, Roots of Madness, Deluge, NO Place, Arcadia, and Bloodland. Current film and television adaptations of Ignition Press series include The Beauty (FX/Hulu) and Extraction (Netflix).
Comic-Con goers don’t want to miss this. In addition to buying a wide range of comics and graphic novels, fans have the opportunity to speak at length with writers and artists, all of whom are very friendly and eager to discuss their work. (You might purchase something, too!)
I noticed that downstairs you can watch the “Revenge Of” podcast. Not familiar to me.
Upstairs, there is a coffee bar (you get one free), and eBay Live which you can watch in action.
The very best part of being upstairs, however, were the awesome creators behind tables with their books.
Here are Jim McCann and Joe Eisma. They’ve created individually and in collaboration with each other. Jim McCann has written for Marvel, including the series Hawkeye & Mockingbird. You can see their cool stuff at their table inside the coffee bar.
This is Ande Parks. He has created Bad Thoughts, a dark psychological thriller. As an artist he is best known for his work on Green Arrow. The art on his table immediately reminded me of work by Mike Grell. He liked my Neal Adams Superman t-shirt!
Lots of great creators to meet!
Dave Wielgosz is another cool creator I met. He wrote 2021’s Man-Bat and contributed stories to comic book anthologies including Batman: The Brave & The Bold and Superman: Man of Tomorrow. His first creator-owned project is Showdown..
Walking over to check out the eBay Live lounge area…
Pretty cool, huh?
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
During Comic-Con 2026 in San Diego, the public has a very special opportunity to experience extraordinary art and artists!
The Chuck Jones Gallery in Seaport Village has daily free activities you don’t want to miss.
Today, Wednesday, I got to speak with Craig Kausen, grandson of legendary animator and director Chuck Jones. (That’s Craig in the above photograph.) I was also privileged to see original works by Chuck Jones from the family archives, including pieces that have been exhibited in museums around the world.
Craig Kausen was so generous with his time, speaking enthusiastically about the life and work of Chuck Jones, showing me works of original art from different eras, different projects.
Some of these original works will remain on display through the course of Comic-Con.
Craig spoke about the creative process, how Chuck Jones paid special attention to detail, even in his most simple drawings. Every line and curve convey subtle but exact feeling, just as carefully chosen words convey a specific meaning when writing.
I loved it when he explained how his Chuck Jones Center for Creativity has inspired countless kids to be more creative and appreciate art. His business card reads “Exercise Your Genius!”
I’m not exaggerating when I say he was truly amazing.
Here’s a sign in front of the Chuck Jones Gallery with the San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Line Up. Expand the image to read it…
I was also super lucky to meet and speak with artist Stephen Reis. That’s him in the next photo:
What a cool guy! What a dynamic personality! He an artist on The Simpsons who does mostly storyboards. Some of his original art is on display in the gallery and available for purchase. With his art he has generously helped raise funds for the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity.
Did you know it takes about 8 months for a single The Simpsons episode to become fully developed and completed? That’s one of many things I learned.
I also enjoyed looking at shoes he has hand painted based on Looney Tunes characters, such as Marvin the Martian. If you come by on Saturday when he’s presenting “From Sketch to Screen” at the Chuck Jones Gallery, he’ll no doubt show you, too!
Now tell me: would you like to meet some important artists and see fantastic art? You know where to go!
Stopping by the gallery today made my day. Thank you!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
Starbucks at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront will be home to Willy Wonka and his Oompa-Loompa pals during Comic-Con 2026!
Local artist Shirish Villaseñor (@shirishtheartist) is now painting the windows of Starbucks with movie characters adapted from my favorite book when I was a boy: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
Willy Wonka, as he slowly materializes, is holding the Golden Ticket! Perhaps you, too, can sample an Everlasting Gobstopper!
I hope no naughty children are nearby!
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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!
